Does CBD Make You High?

CBD is often misunderstood. People wonder if makes you high and also want to know ow does CBD make you feel, well here’s the answer.

Does CBD make you high? No CBD cannot make you ‘high’. It is legally not allowed to contain enough of the substance in cannabis which does make you high – the psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

The maximum amount of THC content in a product sold in the UK is no more than 0.2% (for growth and sale with a license).

In Canada, the US, and Australia the guideline for what’s allowed is set at no more than 0.3% THC.

The Hemp plant contains less than 0.3% THC content, making it legal to industrially grow and sell with a license in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.

The most common misconception comes with its associations with cannabis.

Often questioned is its legality, how it makes you feel, if it gets you high and what the benefits and side effects are. All of these questions will be answered in this article.

How does CBD make you feel if not high then?

CBD does not produce any overt feelings in people. You won’t all of a sudden feel like you can climb a mountain, run a marathon or write an entire book. Its effects are rather more subtle.

You will feel from the fact that you won’t feel anymore. Sounds confusing but the health benefits associated (depression, anxiety, chronic pain) all relate to feeling something, CBD dumbs these down, almost numbing them, sedating them and limiting how much you can feel of these ailments.

The effect and feeling are different in everybody because people take it for different reasons. There is no recommended daily amount due to the wide-ranging health benefits CBD has.

The feeling is difficult to fully describe, it’s not about completely changing your body, it’s about getting rid of whatever is getting in the way of living your life (depression, anxiety, chronic pain).

What is CBD?

CBD comes from the cannabis plant.

In this plant, there are many cannabinoids (of which the body actually produces some of its own and has receptors as well).

The two most commonly known are THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (Cannabidiol). CBD and THC have the same chemical formula but are arranged differently.

This difference in arrangement leads to THC giving you that ‘high’ and CBD not doing so. CBD holds many benefits without feeling that ‘high’, it has been shown to help:

• Reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression
• Ease pain
• Acne
• Multiple sclerosis
• Epilepsy
• Inflammation

How does it work?

As aforementioned, the human body produces cannabinoids of its own and has two receptors for cannabinoids. These are called CB1 and CB2 receptors.

CB1 receptors are more commonly found in the brain and are linked with bodily functions such as coordination, movement, emotions, mood, appetite, memories and pain. THC affects these functions as it attaches to the CB1 receptors.

CB2 receptors are found in the immune system, they affect pain and inflammation.

CBD does not attach itself to these receptors as was once believed, instead, CBD helps the body to use more of its own cannabinoids.

As these cannabinoids have an anti-inflammatory effect, they block pain signals from reaching the CB1 receptors, which in turn affects mood, memories and therefore pain. Which explains some of the ailments which CBD helps with.

Misconceptions with CBD

CBD is legal because of its minuscule THC content. CBD does not get you high also due to its minimal THC content and the common side effects of CBD only include fatigue, appetite changes, and diarrhea.

As it is relatively new to the wider market however, it is not yet fully understood or studied and long term effects of CBD have not yet been outlined.

The World Health Organization, however, has positively stated that there’s no evidence of any “public health-related problems associated with the use of pure CBD”.

How can I take it?

The most common ways to take CBD are:

• Edibles
• Pills
• Oils/tinctures
• Creams
• Vapes

Each method of intake has its benefits. Edibles, pills, oils, and creams are all easy to use and convenient with no potential negative side effects.

Vaping however is not fully researched and has been shown to damage lung tissue, but it provides a much faster release of CBD directly into the bloodstream through inhalation to the lungs.

Typically for edibles, pills, and oils the time to reach peak bloodstream levels of CBD can take anywhere between 1 to 6 hours.

Whereas with vapes peak bloodstream levels can take just 10 minutes. Choosing your method of intake is an individual choice and a recommendation is difficult to make as people may need different dosages.

What are some of the supposed health benefits?

The most common things CBD is linked in helping with are:

• Life-threatening illnesses
• Neurological and psychological disorders
• Dermatological and skin conditions

Life-threatening illnesses

Relating to illnesses such as:

• Cancer
• HIV and AIDS
• Lyme disease
• Lupus
• Cardiovascular disease

It has been shown to reduce tumor growth and the chances of tumors or cancer returning. Furthermore, it has shown to limit and even end cancer cell growth in tumors.

With its links to pain relief and reduction in symptoms of anxiety/depression it helps to increase the quality of life for patients of Cancer, HIV, AIDS, Lyme disease and Lupus.

Relating to Cardiovascular disease, CBD has been shown to aid in reducing inflammation, increasing blood flow to the heart, and minimizing the chance of diabetes and having any antiarrhythmic properties.

Neurological and psychological disorders

This applies to:

• Anxiety
• Stress
• Panic attacks
• OCD
• Depression
• PTSD
• Mood disorders
• Bipolar

CBD calms the distress response in the neurological system. Calming this relieves the feeling of being rushed and the fear of a potentially negative outcome which are both associated with anxiety, stress, panic attacks, and OCD.

CBD accesses the nervous system through the CB1 and CB2 receptors this calms mania, lifts the cloud of depression and balances mood; helping with depression, PTSD, mood disorders and bipolar.

Dermatological and skin conditions

Both actual skin conditions and things linked to the skin such as hair loss have been shown to improve with CBD.

In terms of hair health, CBD has been shown to keep hair hydrated, healthy and help to retain color through an amino acid called Tyrosine.

The effects of the skin condition Keratosis Pilaris which affects the hair follicle by inflaming the skin in and around can be improved due to CBD ’s anti-inflammatory properties.

The aging process of skin could be slowed due to CBD ‘s regenerative powers coming from its antioxidant properties (it is full of Omega 3,6 and 9 essential fatty acids) also meaning it is very effective in maintenance and hydration of healthy skin.

Risks and side effects

In the many studies that have been done with CBD, it has not shown serious side effects. The only recurring side effects, as aforementioned, include fatigue, appetite changes, and diarrhea.

Similarly to grapefruits, CBD can interfere with your body’s ability to process certain pharmaceutical drugs; it inhibits cytochrome p450. Drugs that are affected by grapefruit do have warnings so watch out for these and avoid CBD when taking these.

Conclusion/takeaway

Does CBD make you high? No, it doesn’t.

How does it make you feel? It’s difficult to explain but the feeling comes from what you don’t feel anymore. It has to be experienced to be fully understood.

This is not saying it’s some miracle cure which will make you feel invincible, rather it will relieve some of the symptoms of anxiety, depression, or chronic pain which get in the way of many people’s lives.

Try some of the different methods of intake and dosage to see which best fits and helps you.